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mgdiff(1X)							    mgdiff(1X)

NAME
       mgdiff - Motif-based graphical file difference browser

SYNOPSIS
       mgdiff [-toolkitoption...] [-quit] [-file name] [-args diffargs] [file1
       file2]

OPTIONS
       These are the standard options accepted by all  applications  that  use
       the  X Toolkit Intrinsics.  See the OPTIONS section in the X(1X) manual
       page.  This option sets the resource Mgdiff.quitIfSame to "true".  This
       will cause the program to exit immediately without bringing up a window
       if the two files have no differences (as determined by  the  diff  com‐
       mand).	This  option sets the resource Mgdiff.diffArgs to the value of
       the diffargs argument.  These options are passed to  the	 diff  command
       that actually computes the differences between the two files. Since any
       argument can be passed, it is possible to specify  options  that	 cause
       the  diff  command  to fail or to generate output in a different format
       that will cause mgdiff to fail.	For most versions of diff, only	 three
       options	make any sense.	 The first is '-b'; this causes diff to ignore
       trailing blanks (spaces and tabs) and to treat  all  other  strings  of
       blanks  as  equivalent.	The second option is '-w'; this ignores blanks
       and treats strings of blanks as equivalent.  The last option  is	 '-i';
       this  ignores  case  when  comparing  letters.	This  command sets the
       resource Mgdiff.filename to the value of	 the  name  argument.	mgdiff
       uses this string to display over a file read from standard input.

DESCRIPTION
       Mgdiff  is  a  graphical front end to the diff command.	It permits the
       user to view the differences between two ASCII files  in	 context  and,
       optionally, to write out a third file which is the user-defined merging
       of those two files.  It is inspired by a similar program, called gdiff,
       which  runs  only on Silicon Graphics workstations and for which source
       code is not provided.

       The program takes as arguments various options (described in  the  next
       section)	 and  the names of two files to compare.  Either filename (but
       not both) may be given as '-' to use standard input instead.

       The resulting display consists mostly of two panes of text; the one  on
       the  left  is  the first file specified and the one on the right is the
       second file specified.  Between and below the text panes are scrollbars
       that  permit  changing the visible portions of the two files being com‐
       pared.  In addition, the program implements the Scrolled Region	recom‐
       mendations of Section 2.3.4 of the OSF/Motif Style Guide (release 1.1),
       meaning that the arrow and paging keys will work	 to  scroll  as	 well.
       Above  each text pane is the name of the file in that text pane and the
       line number in the file which is being displayed.

       The text in each of the text panes is  divided  into  blocks  of	 lines
       which  are  color-coded	with one of five different colors.  This indi‐
       cates that the block:

	       differs between the two files

	       is identical between the two files

	       has been inserted in one file or the other

	       is for display purposes (to match an inserted block in the
	       other file)

	       has been selected by the user (for writing to a merged file)

       These colors can be modified by the  user  via  X  resources;  see  the
       RESOURCES  section of this manual page.	A legend display of the colors
       and their meanings is available using the Help menu.

       On the right-hand side of the display is an overview area;  this	 shows
       the  files  in  their entirety.	The sliders in the overview area track
       the lines being displayed in the text panes.

       At the top of the display is a Motif menu bar; those functions are dis‐
       cussed in the MENUS section of this manual page.

MENUS
       The menubar contains the following menu topics as CascadeButtons: File,
       View, Select, Options and Help. The rest of this section discusses each
       menu entry, showing it's name and accelerator, if any.

       File

       This pulldown menu controls file access:

       Open...			   Ctrl+O

       Brings  up  the	"Open  Files" FileSelectionDialog to allow the user to
       open two files for comparison.

       Open Left...		   Ctrl+L

       Brings up the "Open File" FileSelectionDialog  to  allow	 the  user  to
       specify	a  file to open and compare with the already opened right-hand
       file.

       Open Right...		   Ctrl+R

       Brings up the "Open File" FileSelectionDialog  to  allow	 the  user  to
       specify	a  file	 to open and compare with the already opened left-hand
       file.

       Save As...		   Ctrl+S

       Brings up the "Save File" FileSelectionDialog  to  allow	 the  user  to
       specify an output file for writing the merged file; this is an applica‐
       tion modal dialog.  The program will allow the  user  to	 overwrite  an
       existing	 file but pops up a QuestionDialog to allow the user to cancel
       the operation if desired.  If there are any unselected areas of differ‐
       ence  between the two files the user is notified via an ErrorDialog and
       the save operation is canceled.

       Exit			  Ctrl+C

       Exits the program immediately.

       View

       This pulldown menu contains commands for moving through the files.

       Previous			  Ctrl+P

       Scrolls both file views so that the  previous  area  of	difference  is
       Mgdiff.linesOfContext lines from the top of the application window.

       Next			  Ctrl+N

       Scrolls	both  file  views  so  that  the  next	area  of difference is
       Mgdiff.linesOfContext lines from the top of the application window.

       Next Unselected		  Ctrl+U

       Scrolls both file views so that the next unselected area of  difference
       is Mgdiff.linesOfContext lines from the top of the application window.

       Select

       The two files being compared can be optionally merged into one file. To
       do this, the user must select for each area of difference  between  the
       two files which version should be written to the merged file.  The menu
       entries in this pulldown menu allow the user to select or unselect dif‐
       ferences in groups rather than individually.

       Left All

       For  all areas of difference between the two files select the left-hand
       file version.

       Right All

       For all areas of difference between the two files select the right-hand
       file version.

       Unselect All

       Unselects all areas of difference in both files.

       Options

       This  pulldown  menu  controls miscellaneous appearance and/or behavior
       options.

       Overview			  Ctrl+W

       This menu entry toggles the  presence  of  the  overview	 area  on  the
       right-hand  side of the application window.  The default value for this
       toggle is controlled by a resource, Mgdiff.overview, which is described
       in the RESOURCES section.

       Horizontal Scrollbar	  Ctrl+H

       This menu entry toggles the presence of the horizontal scrollbar at the
       bottom of the application window.  The default value for this toggle is
       controlled  by  a resource, Mgdiff.horzScrollbar, which is described in
       the RESOURCES section.

       Drag Scroll		  Ctrl+D

       This menu entry toggles the behaviour of the scrollbars in the applica‐
       tion window.  When set, dragging the slider of a scrollbar results in a
       immediate change in the view of the text being  compared.  When	unset,
       the  view  is  only changed at the end of a slider drag (when the mouse
       button is released.)  This setting might be preferred  on  a  slower  X
       server.	The default value for this toggle is controlled by a resource,
       Mgdiff.dragScroll, which is described in the RESOURCES section.

       Help

       This pulldown menu displays commands for obtaining help on or  informa‐
       tion about mgdiff.

       Version...		    Ctrl+V

       Brings up an InformationDialog with author and version information.

       Manual Page...		    Ctrl+M

       Brings up a DialogShell with a ScrolledText widget containing this man‐
       ual page.  The command  for  generating	this  is  customizable	via  a
       resource,  Mgdiff.manCommand,  which is described in the RESOURCES sec‐
       tion.

       Color Legend...		    Ctrl+G

       Brings up a DialogShell which summarizes the use of color  in  encoding
       the types of differences between the two files being compared.

OTHER DISPLAYS/CONTROLS
       You  can	 move  directly to a particular spot in the two files by using
       BDrag in the overview area.

       The program uses what the OSF/Motif Style Guide calls "multiple	selec‐
       tion"  to select individual blocks for writing to a merged file. Click‐
       ing BSelect on an unselected block adds it  to  the  list  of  selected
       blocks.	 Clicking BSelect on a selected block removes it from the list
       of selected blocks.  In addition, Clicking  BSelect  on	an  unselected
       block  which  is	 opposite  a  selected block (in the other text panes)
       removes the selected block from the list of selected blocks.

       The numbers in the small boxes next to the file names are the line num‐
       bers of the lines at the top of the text panes.

WIDGETS
       What  follows  is  the  hierarchy  of  Motif  widgets,  as generated by
       editres(1X).   The  hierarchical	 structure  of	the  widget  tree   is
       reflected  in  the indentation.	Each line consists of the widget class
       name followed by the widget instance name.  This information  might  be
       useful  if  you	wish  to  customize  the appearance of the program via
       resource settings.

       Mgdiff  mgdiff
	      XmMainWindow  mainw
		     XmSeparatorGadget	MainWinSep1
		     XmSeparatorGadget	MainWinSep2
		     XmSeparatorGadget	MainWinSep3
		     XmRowColumn  menubar
			    XmCascadeButtonGadget  button_0
			    XmCascadeButtonGadget  button_1
			    XmCascadeButtonGadget  button_2
			    XmCascadeButtonGadget  button_3
			    XmCascadeButtonGadget  button_4
			    XmMenuShell	 popup_file_menu
				   XmRowColumn	select_menu
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_0
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_1
					  XmSeparatorGadget  separator_0
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_2
				   XmRowColumn	file_menu
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_0
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_1
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_2
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_3
					  XmSeparatorGadget  separator_0
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_4
				   XmRowColumn	options_menu
					  XmToggleButtonGadget	button_0
					  XmToggleButtonGadget	button_1
					  XmToggleButtonGadget	button_2
				   XmRowColumn	help_menu
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_0
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_1
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_2
				   XmRowColumn	view_menu
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_0
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_1
					  XmPushButtonGadget  button_2
		     XmForm  form1
			    XmFrame  frame1
				   XmForm  form3
					  XmScrollBar  sbl
					  XmDrawingArea	 dam
					  XmScrollBar  sbr
			    XmFrame  frame2
				   XmForm  form4
					  XmForm  form2
						 XmScrollBar  sb
						 XmForm	 form21
							XmFrame	 frame3
							XmLabel	 fnamel
							XmFrame	 frame31
							XmTextField  linenuml
						 XmForm	 form22
							XmFrame	 frame4
							XmLabel	 fnamer
							XmFrame	 frame41
							XmTextField  linenumr
						 XmDrawingArea	textl
						 XmDrawingArea	textr
					  XmScrollBar  sbh
	      XmDialogShell  version_popup
		     XmMessageBox  version
			    XmLabelGadget  symbol
			    XmLabelGadget
			    XmSeparatorGadget  separator
			    XmPushButtonGadget	OK
			    XmPushButtonGadget	Cancel
			    XmPushButtonGadget	Help
	      XmDialogShell  manualpage_popup
		     XmForm  manualpage
			    XmPanedWindow  pane
				   XmScrolledWindow  help_textSW
					  XmScrollBar  vbar
					  XmText  help_text
				   XmForm  form2a
					  XmPushButton	OK
				   XmSash  sash
				   XmSeparatorGadget  separator
				   XmSash  sash
				   XmSeparatorGadget  separator
	      XmDialogShell  legend_popup
		     XmForm  legend
			    XmPanedWindow  pane
				   XmRowColumn	rc
					  XmLabel  label1
					  XmLabel  label2
					  XmLabel  label3
					  XmLabel  label4
					  XmLabel  label5
				   XmForm  form2a
					  XmPushButton	OK
				   XmSash  sash
				   XmSeparatorGadget  separator
				   XmSash  sash
				   XmSeparatorGadget  separator
	      XmDialogShell  werror_popup
		     XmMessageBox  werror
			    XmLabelGadget  symbol
			    XmLabelGadget
			    XmSeparatorGadget  separator
			    XmPushButtonGadget	OK
			    XmPushButtonGadget	Cancel
			    XmPushButtonGadget	Help

X RESOURCES
       Mgdiff.diffForeground:	     black Mgdiff.diffBackground:	  yel‐
       low

       These colors are for blocks which differ between files.

       Mgdiff.sameForeground:	     black Mgdiff.sameBackground:	 grey

       These colors are for blocks which are identical between files.

       Mgdiff.insertForeground:		   black      Mgdiff.insertBackground:
       orange

       These colors are for blocks which have been inserted in one file.

       Mgdiff.blankForeground:		   black       Mgdiff.blankBackground:
       grey66

       These colors are for blocks which are for display purposes.

       Mgdiff.selectForeground:	     black Mgdiff.selectBackground:	 light
       slate blue

       These colors are for blocks which have been selected by the user.

       Mgdiff.font:		     7x13bold

       Font for displaying text blocks.

       Mgdiff.dragScroll:	     true

       Set to true if scrollbar dragging should cause immediate changes in the
       viewed text, and false if the view should only change after the scroll‐
       bar has been moved.

       Mgdiff.overview:		     true

       Set to true if the file overview section should appear.

       Mgdiff.horzScrollbar:	     true

       Set to true if the horizontal scrollbar should appear.

       Mgdiff.linesOfContext:	     3

       Number of lines that should appear above a difference block  gotten  to
       using  the  Previous  or	 Next commands.	 Should be greater or equal to
       zero.

       Mgdiff.manCommand:	     (man mgdiff | col -b) 2>&1

       The command (or pipeline) used to produce a formatted manual page with‐
       out escape codes.

       Mgdiff.diffCommand:	     diff

       The  diff(1)  compatible	 command  to  use  for calculating differences
       between text files.

       Mgdiff.diffArgs:		     ""

       The arguments to be provided to the diff command.   This	 resource  can
       also be set via the -args command line option.

       Mgdiff.quitIfSame:	     false

       If  the	two  files have no differences (as determined by the diff com‐
       mand) then  exit	 immediately  without  bringing	 up  a	window.	  This
       resource can also be set to "true" via the -quit command line option.

       Mgdiff.filename:		     (stdin)

       mgdiff  uses  this  string  to  display	over a file read from standard
       input.  This resource can also  be  set	via  the  -file	 command  line
       option.

DIAGNOSTICS
       Returns the exit status generated by the diff command.  This is usually
       0 for no differences, 1 for some differences and 2 for errors.

RESTRICTIONS
       Using BDrag in the overview area doesn't work well when drag  scrolling
       is turned off.

       Doesn't support monochrome displays.

       Input  lines longer than BUFSIZ (see /usr/include/stdio.h) are silently
       truncated.

       The code for parsing and passing arguments to the diff command  assumes
       arguments  are  delimited by white space and does not do any quote pro‐
       cessing.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 1994, Daniel Williams

       See X(1X) for a full statement of rights and permissions.

SEE ALSO
       diff(1), X(1X)

AUTHOR
       Daniel Williams (dan@sass.com)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
       To Andrew C. Myers for writing gdiff.

								    mgdiff(1X)
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